"Rest on Him"
Isaiah 11:1-10
Sunday, December 9, 2012

Introduction: This morning is the Advent Sunday of “joy.” Whenever I think of this word, I can’t help but think about how so many people think that ‘joy’ and ‘happiness’ are synonyms. But they don’t mean the same thing. As I’ve said before: happiness comes from the good experiences in our life; while joy can be experienced in the good and the bad because it is based on the fact that God walks with us in all things. As Romans 8:28 says: “We know that all things work together for God for those who love God…”

            So the challenge in life is how can we experience joy “in all things”? If someone doesn’t have a job, where is the joy in that? If a family member is sick, where is the joy in that? Maybe someone is dealing with a lack of motivation in life, where is the joy in that?

            This morning I want to talk about how we can experience joy by simply resting on God!!!

I.                   The Spirit Shall Rest on Him- (Isaiah 11:2)

We all have days, even weeks, when things seem chaotic. I had a week like

that not too long ago. What made this week chaotic was the fact that I had a very busy schedule. I had lunch appointments, Presbytery meeting, Bruce Kunkel’s memorial and gravesite, along with doing errands with Tami on my day off, and decorating for Christmas with my family. My schedule was terribly busy.

            You have probably had weeks like this where your schedule is so busy, you just want the days to pass by so that you can get the week over! It is all that you can do to just make it through each day, exhausted at the end of the day, and then a few hours of sleep until the next day hits you again.

            But, I want to tell you, that if you let yourself be fully present in the moment of each day, then you will experience “joy” from the Lord, because His Spirit is resting upon you and helping you to do all that you have to do. As Isaiah 11:2 tells us: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

a.      Spirit of wisdom and understanding- Often when our schedules get busy,

we forget to let the experiences touch us, and as I said before, we try to just get through the day. But as I let the Lord rest on me, I began to have understanding of each event. I was able to enjoy the people with whom I met. I was able to be present for the Kunkel family in their time of loss. I was blessed in and through my job because I knew that God used me to bless others. The time I was with my family was wonderful. Even the errands were enjoyable because I was doing them with Tami. You see, when you let God’s Spirit rest on you, His Spirit helps you to understand what you are doing, understand what you are going through, and you receive joy in each experience instead of missing out on what God has for you!!!

b.      Spirit of counsel and might- Along with that, when the Spirit of God rests

on us, we receive counsel and might. Don’t ever think that you have to know it all, or that you have to survive on your own strength. If you try to go that route, you will simply get frustrated and burnt out. The counsel of the Lord is there for you at all times.  EX. I know there have been times when I am sitting at home with Tami at home, and I lean my head back and close my eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asks. “I’m just frustrated,” I respond, “and I need to let God speak to me.”/ And you know what? God gives me insight in these times and fills me with the power of His Spirit. God takes away my frustration and gives me joy!

c.       Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord- But Isaiah 11:2 tells us one

more thing, and that is when we let God’s Spirit rest on us we will have knowledge and fear of the Lord. Knowledge is important because it allows us to have perspective on what we are going through. God gives us the insight to understand that whatever trial we are going through won’t last forever, or that this struggle is helping us to grow, or this hurt is helping to draw us closer to God.

            This insight that God gives to us also helps us to understand that we need to respect God and His ways, and that the road we should travel is the one God sets before us.

But there is also the issue of fear. The fear that Isaiah is talking about is not

the fear of not wanting to be in someone’s presence. It is more like “respect.” We are called to have the utmost respect for God, so much so that we don’t want to let God down. We want to live our lives in the best way possible so that we might bring glory and honor to God. When we live in this way, we experience joy, because we know we are living the best life we can live. We can also know that God will bless us in all that we do for Him.

II.                He Delights In What Is Right- (Isaiah 11:3)

a.      Delight in the right- Ex. “The Rich Variety of People,” Illus. Unl., p.

55, #6. People are different in the motivation they need:

            Some are like wheels—they don’t work unless they are pushed.

            Some are like trailers—they have to be pulled.

            Some are like kites—they are always up in the air, and if you don’t keep a string on them they will fly away.

            Some are like balloons—always puffed up and you never know when they are going to blow up.

            Some are like good watches—pure gold, open faced, always on time, dependable, and just full of good works.

So often in life we have to be pushed, prodded, lifted up, encouraged, to

do what is right. We are constantly faced with the temptation to do wrong. Whether it is cheating on our taxes, not putting forth our full effort, not following through on commitments, gossiping about others, and so on, we live in a world where we are challenged, sometimes even encouraged to do the wrong!

            But doing the wrong will never bring you joy, because what it does is separates you from God. And in this separation, you have lost the one thing that brings you joy; God’s presence. So to counter-act against the temptations of the world, you need to put 2 things in your life: First, God’s Spirit and second, good Christian friends who help to push, prod, lift up and encourage you to do what is right. The Spirit of God will give you the delight to do what is right, and your friends will remind you of that right path on which you are to keep.

b.      Don’t judge by what you see- Another aspect of life that will keep you

from experiencing joy is having a judgmental attitude. Illus. “The Pope Has Arthritis,” Amusing Grace, #777. A parishioner once asked a priest about the cause of arthritis. The priest responded: “What causes arthritis? Immoral living, that’s what causes it. Smoking! Drinking! Running around! And why do you ask?” To which the parishioner said: “I just read in the paper that the pope has arthritis.”

It’s easy for us to judge others. And often times when we judge, we

don’t even have all the facts, or we are judging wrongly. Contrary to popular thinking, judging others doesn’t make you feel better ; judging others doesn’t help in your inter-personal relationships; judging others won’t draw you closer to God; and judging others won’t bring you joy.

            In speaking of the coming Messiah, Isaiah 11:3 says- “….He shall not judge   

                                                by what His eyes see, or decide by what His ears hear.”

            I’m glad that God overlooks what He sees and hears in His judging of me, but looks to the intentions of my heart! I’m thankful that Jesus judges me through the veil of His blood, shed on the cross. I’m happy that God’s forgiveness comes to me, by His grace, even though I don’t deserve it. And I know that the joy God wants to give me comes more freely when I choose not to judge others.

III.             Righteousness and Faithfulness Support Him- (Psalm 37:4; Isaiah 11:5)

The prophet Isaiah also reminds us of how the Messiah is righteousness and faithful.

a.      Righteousness- Now the easy definition of righteousness is “doing

what is right.” But it goes beyond this, because we know that we can’t always do what is right. Righteousness is really “desiring to do what is right.” As the psalmist tells us in Psalm 37:4- “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” If you really want to know joy, then start to delight in what delights God; delight in doing what is right.

             I challenge you to try this in your life, and see if it isn’t true. Start to delight in the things God delights in. Now to do this of course, you have to study up some, which means you’ll have to open your Bible and read. But when you do, you will discover that God delights in things like: caring for those who are struggling; making sure that the ministry of God is supported by people’s time and money; loving others unconditionally; accepting people for who they are and where they are, but loving them too much to let them stay in their sin; being truthful and helpful, and giving, and compassionate. Thinking about the needs of others and not just your own needs.

            In time you will find that what God desires, starts to become what you desire. And then God will give you the desires of your heart. And in having your desires fulfilled, you will receive great joy.

b.      Faithfulness- Illus. “The Old Man and the Tree,” Stories for the

Journey, p. 37. There is a story of an emperor who was riding toward Tiberias when he saw an old man digging in the earth to plant trees. The shouted out: “Old man, surely you don’t expect to eat the fruit of the trees you are planting.” The old man answered: “I have not given up that hope. While I have strength I will do my duty.” “How old are you?” the emperor asked. “I am 100 years old,” he answered. “God who granted me longevity, may even allow me to eat of the fruit of these trees. But even if He doesn’t, the planting of these trees is imitating God’s act of creation when he ordered us to bring forth fruit-bearing trees.”             Several years later when the trees produced fruit, the old man loaded a basked full of figs and made his way to the king’s palace. After some persistence he was granted an audience with the king. He said to the king: “I am the old man you saw planting fruit trees several years ago. I have brought a basket full of figs for you from those trees.” The king accepted this gift with pleasure and ordered the basket to be filled with coins. Then he said to the old man: “Go home, good friend, and continue to participate with almighty God in the act of creation.”

The importance of faithfulness is that we believe even when we can’t see the

answers. We are faithful when we keep following God, even when we don’t feel like we have the strength. Our faithfulness leads us to keep doing what God would have us to do, even when we don’t feel like it is doing any good. And if we are fortunate, God will allow us to see the fruit of our labors, and God will show us the bounty of His crops. But regardless of whether He does or not, we stay faithful to the call God gives to us!

            Righteousness and faithfulness are like the belt around our waist, giving us the support that keeps us going and standing strong.

Conclusion: If you have come here today not experiencing the joy of the Lord in your life, I encourage you to listen well to these words: joy comes from allowing God to be fully present in your life. If you desire to continually experience the joy of the Lord, follow this example: let the Spirit of God rest on you and give you wisdom, strength, guidance and understanding; delight in those things which bring delight to God; and let righteousness and faithfulness be strong attributes in your life. Then you will experience what the prophet Isaiah says at the end of the tenth verse of chapter 11- “….His dwelling shall be glorious.” When the joy of the Lord is with us, wherever we may dwell and whatever we are doing will be glorious, because the Lord will be alive and active.

Let us give thanks to God for the joy He imparts to us. Amen.